West Virginia DOH says it's committed to making part of Tolsia Highway four lanes

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — The Roads to Prosperity Program has many West Virginia counties hopeful that projects years in the making will finally become reality. Wayne County leaders are wishing that will be true of one project on their radar screen that was first proposed 20 years ago.

Mark Ross of Prichard was part of the group in the 1990s that first pushed the idea of making Route 52, the Tolsia Highway, a four-lane road. He was Prichard fire chief at the time.

"It was nothing for us to have a fatality almost every week," Ross said. "It was just that bad."

The project would widen the road between Interstate 64 and Prichard to four lanes. In addition to safety, others believe it would open that part of Wayne County to economic development.

Wayne County Commission President Bob Pasley called the Tolsia Highway "the economic ball on the tee. We have to kick that ball and get it going."

Wayne County commissioners represented one of five counties to meet with the West Virginia Department of Transportation about the Roads to Prosperity Program to learn more about how projects are chosen.

Transportation Secretary Tom Smith said the Roads to Prosperity Program takes in a total of more than 600 projects.

"Every county gets a considerable amount of work with that," Smith said.

Pasley said he is going to wait and see, but will "keep on top of it to see that it is happening."

A spokesperson for the Division of Highways says the agency is committed to making the 12-mile section of U.S. 52 a four-lane highway. The project is currently in the design phase.

Ross said the project is long overdue.

"It is really a shame that it has taken this long because lives have been lost, and some of the economic possibilities I think that could have happened had that four lane already been there," Ross said.

Smith said highways officials plan to meet with the leaders of all 55 counties to talk about the Roads to Prosperity Program.